Thank Yu for Sharing
by UnleadedCorgi
Summary: When the System Lord Yu gives Earth advanced technology, can SG1 convince the new leader of the SGC, and President Kinsey, that it is a mistake to keep it? SamJack, set after New Order.
1. Gift Horse

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Never was, never will be. Stargate is the property of people waaaaay cooler than I am. I am just a loyal fan.

**Summary:** When the system lord Yu gives Earth advanced technology, can SG1 convince the new leader of the SGC that it is a mistake to keep it?

**A/N:** Yes, in this story, General George Hammond has been promoted to Commander of Home-World Security, but it was not Jack O'Neill who stepped up to the plate. I made my own character for this, Major General Laurence Ward. Please feel free to criticize him all you want, I really don't mind. In fact, I encourage it!

Oh, and this is written differently to most of my other stories, but I think it's good…

**Chapter 1**

"Unscheduled off-world activation!"

That sound of the klaxons blaring rang through the base, alerting all personnel to the possible security risk that could occur. Colonel O'Neill reached the control room within moments of the alert, and was joined only seconds later by Teal'c and Daniel.

Major General Laurence Ward was standing behind Sargent Harriman, listening intently to a radio signal. The language was clearly Goa'uld, but Ward seemed to understand it.

"General, sir, may I ask what's going on?" O'Neill said, once the transmission had ended. General Ward nodded once to Harriman, who began typing on his console.

"We just received a transmission from the Goa'uld system lord Yu," He said. The members of SG1 were taken aback, and Daniel cleared his throat.

"What did he want?" He asked, and the general laughed.

"I don't speak Goa'uld, Dr Jackson," He began. He picked up a disk that Harriman had just burnt, and passed it to Daniel. "That is why I have you." With a nod of his head in farewell, the General returned to his office.

Daniel opened and closed his mouth in an attempt to say something but it was already to late. O'Neill patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry Daniel, I'm sure he didn't mean to give you more work," He said sarcastically, knowing that his team mate was more outraged that the new commander had treated Daniel as a military grunt. Truthfully, O'Neill didn't like the guy much ether. Sure, he'd been at the SGC for a few months, but he hadn't done much to earn the colonel's respect. They had gotten off to a bad start.

***  
_SG1 sat solemnly in the briefing room, the usual light attitude suppressed by nervous tension and protocol as they waited to meet the new commander of the SGC. O'Neill and Carter were both dressed in regulation dress blues, and even Teal'c had made an effort to dress in acceptable 'Earth' clothing._

_Hammond had been promoted the week before, and was to be replaced by someone who had never been inside the SGC before and who had only heard of the Stargate in passing. Many of the personnel on the SGC had hoped that one of their own would be given command, in particular, Colonel O'Neill. He was respected greatly by military and non-military personnel alike, and they wouldn't hesitate to disobey their new commander if he asked them to. Not that he ever would._

_The door of the briefing room, and O'Neill and Carter sprung to attention. They were given a salute by one of the older men who had just entered the room. Daniel and Teal'c stood, and shook hands with the General, introducing themselves. As a group, they sat down._

_The members of SG1 weren't surprised to see that General Ward brought an entourage with him, nor were they surprised to see that Vice President Kinsey was among the people joining them._

_"General, sir, welcome to the SGC," O'Neill said, and Ward nodded._

_"Thank you, Colonel O'Neill," He replied. "I must say, it's bigger than I suspected. How this facility has managed to go with out the notice of the civilian population is a mystery to me."_

_"We're extremely… careful, sir." O'Neill replied, a slight smile gracing the corners of his mouth._

_---  
_

"… He then refers to something that translates to 'sharing of the trophy'. Taking that and the earlier mention of 'spoils of war' and 'tools of the gods', I believe that Yu wants to arrange a trade agreement," Daniel paused, looking around the briefing room table. Ward sat at the head of the table, his chin resting on his folded hands.

"Exactly what is it he wants to trade, Dr Jackson?" He asked, his tone still identical to the tone he used on lower ranking airmen, commanding, condescending and disrespectful.

"Well, 'tools of the gods' most likely refers to technology, so I'm guessing he wishes to trade technology, most likely stolen technology, with us. As far as what he wants in return, he says that will be discussed once the agreement has been accepted."

"Wait, this snake-head –" O'Neill began.

"Yu," Daniel corrected.

"Yu," He continued, "Expects us to agree to trade with him, without us knowing what he wants?"

"Yes, pretty much. He is a Goa'uld, Jack."

'Thank you, Dr Jackson. I will contact my superiors about the situation. If we decide to take him up n his offer, I'll need your help to compose a message." Ward stood, signifying the meeting was over.

"You're not seriously going to consider this? You can't! No way can you trust a Goa'uld." O'Neill was outraged.

"Colonel O'Neill, it is not your place to tell me what I can or can't do. I believe we have had that conversation many times before. This meeting is over. Dismissed," With that, General Ward closed the door to his office, leaving a bewildered SG1 seated at the table.

***  
_A battered, bruised and tired SG1 sat at the briefing room table, having just returned from a dangerous mission that they had managed to pull off, despite the fact that one of them had nearly died. Now they were smiling, relieved to be back home, and safe._

_"SG1! What the hell were you thinking?" Ward declared angrily as he entered the room. The team froze, turning to stare at him. For a moment, the question hung in the air, until O'Neill cleared his throat._

_"Sir?"_

_"You heard me, O'Neill. What the hell were you thinking?" Ward was now seated at the table, but he was no less angry or intimidating. "From what I've heard, you decided to change your mission objective, in the midst of a gun fight no less, and took upon yourself to destroy a Goa'uld base, almost resulting in the death of Major Carter! It was meant to be a simple reconnaissance mission, go in, get the information, and get out. Any of you care to explain?"_

_"General Ward, sir, we were compromised. There was no way we could get out of the base without being detected. The easiest thing to do was to cause a diversion. We blew the shield generators, and got out," O'Neill said. He cast a quick glance around at his team._

_"And how exactly did you go about doing that, Colonel?" Ward asked, clearly not impressed with the less than full report._

_"Daniel and Carter headed to one generator station, Teal'c and I to another. We planted C4 and returned to the rendezvous point. When Daniel and Carter failed to return, Teal'c and I went after them," O'Neill paused, and Teal'c took up the report._

_"Daniel Jackson and Major Carter had been separated after leaving the generator room. A group of Jaffa had located them, and in order to avoided them, Major Carter lead them in the wrong direction. We located Daniel Jackson quickly, but we soon discovered that Major Carter had been enclosed in a small passageway, the ends of which were sealed and guarded by several Jaffa. It was also situated directly beneath the shield generator," It was then Teal'c's turn to fall silent. A silence settled over the group._

_"Well? What happened then?" General Ward was growing impatient with the group. O'Neill began again._

_"There was no way we could take out the guards. I sent Teal'c and Daniel to the 'Gate. We only had a few minutes before the base blew up. My original plan was to return to the generator room, and disable the C4, preventing the explosion. Unfortunately, it was more difficult than that." He paused again, but not long enough to irritate Ward "As you know, the base was under Ba'al's control. He had found our C4, and set a force-field around it. There was no way to disable the timer. Obviously, Ba'al didn't care much for the survival of his base."_

_"If that's the case, how did Major Carter escape?" Ward interrupted O'Neill this time, despite the fact he had a strict 'No Interruptions' policy._

_"I found a trapdoor on the floor of the generator room," O'Neill continued, not disturbed at all. "I managed to get it open, and get Carter out through it. As you should know from the medical report, her legs were pretty banged up. She could hardly walk. Together, we made it out of the base with about 75 seconds left on the timer. We made it halfway to the 'Gate before we heard the explosion go off. We were off the planet before the patrols caught up with us."_

_"I see," Ward was silent, as he read over the medical report and the brief notes he'd made throughout the debriefing. "Care to enlighten me to how Major Carter got trapped in the first place?" There was that condescending tone again. O'Neill wasn't having any of it._

_"General, sir! She can't even walk, do you have to probe at her every decision?" Jack was enraged. He had almost lost his 2IC, and was not about to have some bureaucratic ass put her under the microscope._

_"Colonel, that is borderline insubordination!"_

_That was when Colonel O'Neill started loathing General Ward._

_---  
_

"I cannot believe he is even going to consider this!" Sam spoke softly, but her voice contained all the anger the team members felt. They were sitting in the infirmary, discussing the current situation. "I mean, the only thing we have that the Goa'uld would even want are hosts, and there is no way I am letting them come here and enslave half the population!"

"We know, Sam," Daniel said, his words screaming peacemaker, but his tone shouting 'This is so wrong'.

"The worst part is, we can't do anything about it," O'Neill said, startling the others. He had remained silent throughout the conversation, slouched on a chair in the corner, his eyes closed and thinking things over. "I mean, nothing any of us says is going to make a difference. He'll contact the president if he has to."

"I indeed would prefer him to do so," Teal'c said, causing his friends confusion. "From what we know, is it not General Hammond who would advise the president should such a situation arise?"

"T's got a point. If Hayes goes to Hammond, there's no way this will be approved. Until that happens, we just have to keep our heads down, and make sure that what ever General Ward is up to doesn't put anyone here in the SGC in jeopardy."

"Sir, for all we know, General Ward is just like that. We don't know that he's up to anything," Jack shot Sam a look that would have any other officer on their knees, begging forgiveness. But not Major Carter. "I'm not saying I like the guy, far from it. But just because we don't like someone, doesn't mean they're up to anything."

"Kinsey was. Maybourne was," O'Neill stood, stretching his limbs. "Come on Carter, the guys an ass."

"Yes, sir, he is. But please, be careful what you accuse him of. We need to keep our jobs here, remember?" She lay back on the bed, and closed her eyes, a signal that the meeting was over.

- - -

Three days later, General Ward received the news that the President had rejected the offer of trade with Yu.

Three days after that, President Hayes was shot dead while boarding aircraft one.

A week after that, Vice President Kinsey was sworn in, becoming President Kinsey.

Less than a day later, General Ward was contacting Lord Yu to agree to his trade proposition.

SG1 weren't surprised. It was something that Kinsey would agree to. Sitting in the briefing room, they read over the trade agreement. There was no mention of Earth giving anything in return, and the foolish politicians jumped on the opportunity to take this technology, and incorporate it into everyday life.

It was immediately clear to SG1 that something was amiss. Goa'uld system lords did not just hand over advanced technology to the one race that stood a chance of using it to kick their collective butts. Many people inside the SGC were of a similar view, but, with Kinsey in charge, no one dared bring it up.

General Laurence Ward was just another of Kinsey's lackeys, and it was becoming more apparent the more Kinsey was in power. Budget cuts were made, several SG teams were disbanded, and a lot of the science researchers were transferred to Area 51.

Luckily, he didn't dare try to split up SG1. If he had even mentioned sending Teal'c back to Chulak, or sending Carter to Area 51, he would have had a rebellion on his hands.

Standing in the control room, less than three weeks after the original offer, SG1 was silent and tense. Sergeant Harriman sat at the controls for the 'Gate, and every member of the base was on guard as the klaxon blared once more.

"Incoming Wormhole!"

--------------------------

**So, This was uploaded as my Birthday present to you. I had a great day, if anyone cares. Except that my balloons burst. And my English class sang happy birthday at the top of their lungs.**

**Please review, might inspire me to upload sooner. I'm not sure when this'll be updated next….**


	2. Virus Alert

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**A/N: **Here you go, the new chapter. I changed some things in the last chapter so that Sam's still in the infirmary, it made my story work better. Enjoy.

_____________________________________________________________________

**Chapter 2**

Several Jaffa, carrying large boxes between them, descended down the 'Gate ramp, flanked by the members of SG's 3, 7, and 13. Their faces were impassive, and none made a move against the congregation on the 'Gate room.

General Ward entered the large concrete room, his presence demanding attention, as always. He made no attempts at pleasantries, as other leaders would. He barely acknowledged the Jaffa, merely pausing as they placed the boxes at the base of the ramp. With a nod of his head, SG13 disarmed the Jaffa, and lead them from the room.

"Do I need to remind anyone here of my great… dislike… of the current situation?" O'Neill asked sarcastically. His team didn't bother to answer, just watched as the General search greedily through the boxes.

Several marines moved forward to join him, and after several minutes, he closed the lids.

"Take these to Level One for transport to Area 51," he ordered, and the marines saluted, before carrying the boxes out of the 'Gate room. General Ward glanced briefly up at the control room, and gave a sinister nod to SG1.

***

_SG1 gathered in the control room, watching as yet another team returned from off world. With Ward now in a very foul mood when it came to SG1, they had been placed under temporary suspension._

_It suited them well, as Carter was still in the infirmary recovering from the injuries she had sustained in their last mission. No one outside of SG1 knew exactly how she had ended up unable to walk, not even the General. They had made a silent pact after returning to not tell a soul, afraid that the General would remove Sam from duty._

_So instead, they visited her every day in the infirmary, helping her through the rehabilitation process. The doctors knew that there was no way that she had been injured that badly under the circumstances, but none wanted to accuse the heroes of the SGC of lying._

_SG4 trooped into the control room on their way to their debriefing, and Major Broud grinned at O'Neill. He was one of the General's pets, brought in from Washington on Ward's request. He was strongly disliked by his team, many of whom had served with SG1 in the earlier years of the program._

_With every passing day, SG1 grew more and more wary of Ward. There was no evidence complied yet, but they were sure he was up to no good. Slowly, they gathered their supports, and began to spark the fire of reason in the hearts of the resistance._

_For all the civil wars on all the planets they had been to, nothing could have prepared them for the one that was growing with in the walls of the SGC._

_***_

"What do you mean I don't even get to look at the technology?" Sam said, sitting up in the infirmary bed, hearing the news for the first time from the other members of SG1, who had just come to visit. Despite being confined to the infirmary, she was still quite able to inspect all new alien technology that came into the base. It was ridiculous to think she couldn't.

"General Ward wants it sent to Area 51," Daniel explained. "I don't think the decision has anything to do with you being stuck in here for a few more weeks. I think he just doesn't like us, and would rather one of his lackeys gets the credit for the 'amazing discoveries'."

"You know what this means though, right?" Jack piped up from beside the bed, having settled down in his usual chair. "When it turns out we're right, and the technology starts attacking people, it'll be on McKay's head!"

"Colonel, you don't think that McKay would go along with someone like Ward, do you? I mean, he's annoying, but not stupid. If we're right, and Ward is affiliated with the Trust, there is no way that McKay is."

"I agree with Sam," Daniel said, and Teal'c nodded slowly.

"I'm not saying he is working with the Trust. But put yourself in his shoes. It's Goa'uld tech. What kind of scientist would he be if he didn't want to look at it?"

There was a pause, as a nurse walked across the room. Most of the conversation had been held in whispers, under the pretence of courtesy towards other patients. The real reason was that SG1 did not want any of Ward's 'friends' overhearing there conversation.

"Maybe it's a good thing that McKay will be in charge of the tech. The Trust have been making threats about his sister, Jeannie. I don't know if McKay is aware of them or not, but if he is, he's sure to hate them as much as we do."

Sam paused, wincing as a sharp pain shot up her leg. It had been happening regularly since the accident, but she was glad of it. Pain meant she had feeling in her legs. Feeling meant that she could control them. The risk of paralysation had been higher than comfortable.

"Anyway," She continued, "If we can get Rodney on our side, then at least we won't be out of the loop when it comes to the analysis."

"I'm heading over there tomorrow, to supervise the transportation, so while I'm there, I'll talk to McKay. Saves someone else having to get clearance to leave the base." Jack stood, and stretched out his muscles. Being stuck on Earth was detrimental to his fitness.

As he left the room, he tapped lightly on Sam's leg. It had become a sort of custom between the two, Jack's way of reassuring her that she would be okay.

***

"_Carter!" O'Neill called as he entered the small corridor. He heard a whimpering coming from deep inside, and immediately rushed inside. He saw Sam lying on the ground a few meters away, trapped under a collapsed piece of the structure. Her legs were completely trapped underneath._

"_Sir," She coughed, and struggled to move. "My legs... Can't move…"_

"_Sam, what happened?" Jack asked, kneeling beside her, stroking her hair out of her eyes gently._

"_We were discovered, sir, Daniel and I split up, to lead them away. I'm guessing Daniel told you that much?"_

"_Yeah, he did." By then, O'Neill had moved to the rubble, and was trying to lift it off Sam's legs. It was heavy, and he didn't want to risk causing more damage, but he couldn't see another option. "Is there anyway you can slide out when I lift it?"_

"_No. I think I've cracked a rib." Sam's breathing had increased, trying to sustain her body and keep enough oxygen travelling to her brain._

"_Damn. How'd that happen?" Jack had moved back to her head, checking for any injuries. While his major concern was blood loss, he still wanted to rule out concussion._

"_Took a staff to the chest when I resisted. Almost knocked me out." She fell silent. "Sir, you know you're going to have to leave me, right? There's know way that you'll be able to get me out of here. Both doors are sealed. How'd you even get in here?"_

"_Cut a hole in the roof. We're right below the shield generator room. I couldn't remove the C4, there's some sort of shield around it. And I'm not leaving you here, Sam." She opened her mouth to argue. "No arguments, Carter! This is the goddamned armbands again, only I'm getting us out of here with out relying on some sheer dumb luck!"_

"_Jack, even if you get me out of here, I may not be able to walk again…" She stopped talking abruptly when a painful tremor shot through her legs. She whimpered again involuntarily._

"_You will. Please, don't give up. You gotta trust me, okay?" Jack whispered, wrapping an arm around her as she sobbed. She nodded, and he stood. "This is gonna hurt, Sam."_

"_I know. Just do it." She shut her eyes as Jack grabbed her below her shoulders and pulled her loose from the last of the rubble. Her scream of pain was cut short when she fell unconscious._

_***_

"Colonel O'Neill. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Rodney McKay asked sarcastically. Of course he knew that the colonel was here to bring the new technology, but O'Neill ignored his feigned politeness.

"Listen McKay, I know you've heard about the knew tech. Personally, I don't care about you looking at it, I just don't think anyone should accept this from the Goa'uld." He sat on one of the desk chairs in the lab, and gestured for McKay to join him. "But there are some things you need to know."

McKay sat, curious. Jack began.

"Firstly, you should know that General Ward has refused to let Major Carter have any contact with this technology. His cover is that he doesn't want someone in a compromised medical condition to work on the tech. The truth is, he wants to undermine any and all authority SG1 have at the SGC. If we're lucky, he won't realise just hw difficult that is going to be."

"You want me to be a spy for you? To supply you with information, I mean?"

"Yes," Jack answered honestly. "We need someone we can trust to supervise the technology, and tell us if anything goes wrong. We all agree that you are that person."

"Why me?" McKay seemed genuinely puzzled. In all his dealings with SG1, they appeared to not like him.

"Because deep down, despite the act you put on, we know you'll do the right thing."

***

'_Jack! What happened?" Daniel called as the colonel met them near the gate, Major Carter held tightly in his arms. She was still unconscious._

"_Staff weapons, rubble and holes in the floor. Dial the 'Gate, before the reinforcements arrive." Daniel complied, and they ran the last few meters to the event horizon._

_Out of nowhere, Lord Ba'al appeared._

"_SG1. How nice to see you. I take it you are responsible for the destruction of my new mother ship?" He asked sarcastically. Daniel and Teal'c both raised their weapons. Jack took a more protective hold of Sam. "Oh, I see poor Major Carter is badly hurt. Well, I'd best let you get home to help her. Just know that this won't be the last you hear of me. I will destroy your world in due time."_

_The hologram faded, and SG1 continued through the gate to Earth._

_***_

"Sam, I have some great news!" O'Neill said as he entered the infirmary room where Sam had been relocated to. When he spotted his 2IC, his smile grew wider. "Jacob! What're you doing here?"

"You should know that Jack, you called me," The older man said as he shook O'Neill's hand. "The nurse said I can try the healing device, but Sammie wanted to wait for you to get back. Something about Area 51."

"That's what my good news was. McKay's on our side. He'll keep an eye on the technology, inform us of any and all progress, and make sure the Trust don't get hold of it."

"Wait, this technology, where did you say it came from again?" Jacob asked, one hand running along the side of Sam's bed.

"We were offered it by Lord Yu. Our foolish leaders thought it safe to agree to." Sam said, grabbing her fathers hand and stilling it. "Dad, what's going on?"

"Yu is under Ba'al's control. This is bad. Ba'al is gonna be seriously pissed you guys blew up his mothership. You didn't give anything back in return did you?"

"No. And I think that makes it worse, at leat, for Ward and the other goons…" Jack trailed off. "How bad is it going to get? You know, when everything goes to hell?"

"Pretty bad, sir." Sam winced in pain, a muscle spasm shooting through the base of her leg.

"Sam, I've waited long enough, I'm healing your leg, now." Jacob pulled a hand device out of his pocket as he talked and positioned it carefully over his daughter's legs. It began to glow red, and Sam let out a low hiss of pain as it knitted her bones together, and repaired her damaged nerves.

A phone rang on the wall, interrupting the silence, and Jack picked it up.

"Colonel O'Neill?" McKay said. "You wanted me to call you if the technology did anything that could be considered bad, right?"

"Yes. What are you getting at, McKay?" Sam's eyes darted to meet Jack's when he said the scientists name.

"I think we have a problem. The technology is spreading a virus throughout our computer mainframe. If it continues at this rate, all the technology in the world will stop working in a little over two days."

-------------------------

Review, please, if you want. I'll update again next Sunday, most likely, if I find time to write a new chapter this week. Busy, busy, busy….

:P


	3. Infiltration Part 1

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**A/N: **So, finally, the new chapter. I've split it into two arts so that I can upload this part sooner. I will finish the next part soon.

_____________________________________________________________________

**Chapter 3**

"Well, that proves it then. Something bad happened, just like we knew it would! But of course, you wouldn't listen to us! We've only been doing this for SEVEN YEARS! What the hell would we know?" O'Neill slammed the phone back onto it's hook in frustration and ran a hand through his hair angrily.

"Sir?" Sam called from the bed. Jacob had finished healing her legs, but she hadn't moved yet, heavy casts still encasing her legs.

O'Neill ignored her and continued cursing authorities under his breath. General Ward had refused down right that there was any virus infecting the computer systems, stating that the technology was working at exactly the rate they had hoped for. His blatant disregard for the knowledge SG1 had concerning the working of the galaxy was growing old, very quickly, in Jack's books.

"Jack!" Sam called again, this time loud enough to rouse him from his tirade. "Would you give it a rest? I get it, Ward's an idiot, but pacing back and forth on reinforced concrete is only going to wear out your shoes. What would help is if you would come over here, and help me out of these goddamn casts!"

"That's borderline insubordination, Major," Jack said, in a perfect imitation of the General. He stopped pacing, and moved to the bed. "So, how do we do this?"

"Well, you go and get a chisel or something to break the cast, while I put on a hoodie over this ridiculous hospital gown." Carter replied, reaching for the jacket beside her bed.

A few minutes later, Jack returned with a chisel and they broke the cast off Sam's leg. Beneath, the leg was pale, but as fit and strong as either of them could have imagined. Gingerly, Sam reached down and rest a hand on her knee, the area that had been most damaged by the rubble. There was no pain.

"Sam?" Jack asked, noticing the tears in her eyes. She smiled up at him.

"It doesn't hurt! I… I almost forgot what it felt like to not have that throbbing ache just below the surface, even after Morphine. Jack, it doesn't hurt!" Sam was beaming, and Jack was swept up in her excitement.

"You think you can walk, Major?" Jack asked grinning like Sam.

"I'm not sure sir, only one way to test it out." With that, she slid her legs over the edge of the bed and let them drop to the floor. She held O'Neill's shoulder for support and slowly stood, putting more weight on her legs moment by moment. Gently, she lifted her hand off his shoulder and stood tall. Still smiling, she took a step forward, then another, and another. Soon she was walking like she had never stopped.

---

"_How is she?" Daniel asked as he met Jack outside the infirmary._

"_Not good. She'll live, thankfully, but the doctors don't know if she'll be able to walk again."_

"_She'd be kicked out of the military?" Worry was etched into every line on Jack's face, and Daniel knew that inside his heart was breaking._

"_Yeah. She'd probably stay on at the SGC as a civilian consultant, or be moved to R&D at Area. No more trekking through alien forests, or running down dunes on a sand planet. I don't think she'd even be able to go to the Alpha site in a wheelchair, the terrain is too rugged."_

"_Would Ward even let her go?" There was the question that hung over SG1 as they waited to hear the results of Sam's surgery._

---

"So, we bust into Ba'al super top secret base, blow up a bunch of stuff, get this anti-virus and come back in one piece, just to face a court-marshal?" Jack asked, resting his head on one hand. SG1 were sitting with Jacob in his temporary quarters planning their attack.

"Basically, yes. Of course, if you manage too, while you're there, it would be great if you could contact our operative on the inside. We haven't heard anything from them in quite some time, so we are a little bit wary."

"That all _sounds_ well and good, but how are we meant to get off this base? There's no chance at all the Ward will just let us leave." Daniel said, and the group quietened.

"Dad, when are you leaving?" Sam asked suddenly.

"No." Jacob said sternly. Sam opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "I know what you're thinking, and it's too risky."

"No more risky than breaking into Ba'al's base, and you know it. We've done harder things! SG1can handle it!"

"I don't care! The 'Gate room is full of highly trained marines! You could get yourselves killed!"

"Jacob, Carter, shut the hell up, would you both?" Jack yelled over the top of their argument. "That's better. What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sorry sir. If SG1 go with Dad to the 'Gate room under a guise of seeing him off, and then make a break for the 'Gate, we could slip through and make it to the otherside. Then, all we'd need to do is dial Ba'al's planet from the Tok'ra 'Gate." Sam explained, and Jack smiled.

"Sam, you're a genius!" He said, tapping her lightly on the back.

"No, she's not." Jacob said and the other members of the room stared at him. "Well, okay, she is, but there's a problem with the plan. The 'Gate room is full of marines. You'd be shot to pieces before you got to the other side."

"I'm no quantum theorist, but I'm pretty sure that's impossible. Anyway, General Ward has cut back the number of marines in the 'Gate room. We could do it easily."

"So, it's a plan then?" Daniel asked, and the team nodded. Teal'c stood, bowed his head in farewell then left. Daniel, Jack and Sam followed, leaving Jacob alone to wonder what he had gotten himself involved in.

---

"_I've been promoted." General Hammond said, sitting at the head of the briefing table. "Given the events over the last few weeks, Dr Weir agrees that a military head of command is needed. However, the President wants me to stay on as the head of Home World Security."_

"_Congratulations, sir." O'Neill said. Hammond smiled. "Any idea who'll be taking you spot?"_

"_His name is General Ward. He's one of the best."_

"_General _Laurence _Ward?" Carter asked. At Hammonds nod, she continued. "Sir, I've met him. He worked with my father for several years. Does he even know about the existence of the Stargate?"_

"_He is being informed as we speak." Hammond sat. Jack snored._

"_Are you serious, sir? This Ward guy doesn't even know about the Stargate, and we're being forced into his command?"_

"_Colonel, he is a good officer. Frankly, I would like someone with more experience, but there aren't that many people who have the qualifications to take on this job. I'm not even sure _I'm _qualified for this!"_

"_Well sir, you did a good job, and you have that much on you side."_

---

SG1 walked down the large corridors of the SGC in full black-ops gear, minus the guns. Every member of the base that saw them knew something was up, but no one was worried enough to comment on it. The only comments that SG1 received were praise and happiness that Sam was walking again.

When they reached the control room, they met with Jacob. He was dressed in traditional Tok'ra clothing, making it seem more likely that they were just going to see him off. He carried a large bag on his shoulder, which SG1 knew contained P-90's and combat vests. They nodded, the symbol that everything was in place, and enter the room.

The 'Gate was active, as they expected. Walter was nothing if not efficient. They did a quick survey of the room. Two marines, both from before Ward's time. This heartened the team. Hopefully, the marines would leave them be.

"Well, I'll be seeing you," Jacob said, as he moved toward the event horizon. Once he crossed, SG1 shared a brief look, then, as one, Ran towards the 'Gate.

Instantly, they heard the sound of guns being loaded, but kept going anyway. Teal'c, Daniel and Sam crossed the event horizon s Jack turned back to face the shocked Control room.

"Trust me, we are doing this for your good. The damn technology from Ba'al is going to shut down all the computers on Earth. Ask the general if you don't believe me. But we're doing this, and we're saving Earth, now, before it's too late."

With that, he turned and stepped into the swirling blue vortex.

The two marines lowered there guns and looked back at the control room. Walter was stunned, but hid a small smile. Finally, the old SG1 were back.

- - -

On the Tok'ra base, Jacob handed out P-90's and vests to the team. With in moments, the 'Gate was redialled and SG1 were ready for their mission.

"Good luck. I'll head back to Earth and try to get people to understand what's going on. If I can, I'll contact George. There's no way he's supportive of this." Jacob kissed Sam's head, and signalled for them to leave.

When the 'Gate shut down, he sighed, and began to redial.

-------------------------

Hopefully, I will get the next chapter up before Friday. If you want to fllow the progress of this story, follow me on Twitter. There's a link in my profile.


	4. Infiltration Part 2

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**A/N: **I know this chapter took forever to update, but I've been really, really busy lately. I'm so sorry for the wait.

On a random note, has anyone reading this seen David Hewlett's _A Dog's Breakfast_? It's so funny…

Enjoy the chapter.

_____________________________________________________________________

"I know that SG1 claimed that the technology was going to reek havoc on Earth, but I assure you, that is not the case." President Kinsey addressed the personnel of the SGC from his place behind the podium set at the base of the Stargate. He gestured for Ward to continue.

"As you are all aware, since coming into this position, I have made several changes in the way things are done. Of course, I did this without SG1's counsel. Apparently, this made them think that I was not heading their advice, which I was. However, none of the members of SG1 have any experience as a leader, especially not of an operation like this one. I made the best choices for this base." Ward paused, and several of the people he personally recruited for the program smiled and nodded.

"SG1 are under the influence of alien technology. They were subjected to several brain wash techniques while infiltrating Lord Ba'al's base last month. At the moment, the only proof we have is the damage done to Major Carter's legs. Several nurses say that there was no way that that much damage could have occurred due to a fall. What reason would SG1 have to lie?"

There were murmurs amongst some of the older members of the SGC. They knew that SG1 would lie only if it was a matter of grave importance. They were tired of this illogical tirade of Ward's.

Walter stood firmly at attention like the rest of the congregation. General Hammond would never have dismissed SG1's opinions like this fool was. A smile spread onto his face. Ward and Kinsey may have been able to convince some higher-ups, but there was one who would take the word of his people above anything else….

---

"_Daniel, Carter, you take the east generator, Teal'c, your with me. We'll blow the west. Meet back here in 20 minutes." O'Neill flicked the cover of his watch closed, and watched Sam and Daniel head of in the direction of their shield generator. He followed Teal'c out of the forest and ran across the ground into the base._

_The architecture was typical Goa'uld. Gold panels, solid floors and sconces lined the hallways. Silently, they moved towards their target._

_The generator room was large, and noisy. The whirring sound of the generator sunk through Jack's teeth, and rattled his brain. _

"_This is gonna cause a hell of a headache!" He yelled to Teal'c, who nodded deeply, before pulling several packages of C4 out of his pack. Jack held his P-90 up at the door, carefully keeping guard._

---

"So your saying that SG1 is attempting to acquire the anti-virus, bring it back, upload it into Earth's technological systems, save the planet, and live happily ever after?" Major General George Hammond said, looking in shock at Walter Harriman.

"Yes sir, although I'm not sure about happily ever after, sir." Walter replied, and Hammond chuckled.

"No, I suppose not. Where's the problem though? I hadn't heard about any virus, so clearly the matter isn't urgent?" He said, and Walter bit his lip nervously.

"General, sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted. What is it, son?" Hammond asked.

"General Ward is an absolute fool, sir, and is working for the Trust." Walter blurted out.

"Do you have proof?" Hammond replied after several moments of shocked silence.

"Not concrete sir," Walter replied. "However, he is in Kinsey's back pocket, and refuses to acknowledge the virus. He's convinced most people that SG1 are under alien influence, but I know something's amiss. Ward's been shielding calls from Area 51, and is always acting as if the world is not under threat.

"Sir, if this virus advances, it'll shut down all the technology on Earth. Cell phones, laptops, internet connections, televisions, building equipment, life support machines, vital defence operation, everything. Earth will be left in chaos, and defenceless. There is no way that Ward can just pretend that isn't happening." Walter finished.

"I understand," Hammond said gravely. "It seems SG1 are Earth's last chance once again. In the meantime, I think it's time the SGC had a little inspection from the head of home-world security, don't you?"

- - -

General Hammond entered the control room in time to see the Kawoosh of the Wormhole disappear, and a figure to step through. He smiled at the sight of his good friend, Jacob Carter.

"George!" The other man called, smiling. At that moment, General Ward entered the 'Gate room, followed by several airmen, and marched up the ramp to Jacob.

"Jacob Carter, you are under arrest for aiding renegade soldiers. You will be confined at the SGC until further notice. You will not be allowed to return to the Tok'ra. Airmen, take him away." Ward said, and Hammond looked on in shock.

George followed the airmen to Jacob's cell, and ordered himself allowance into the room. Ten minutes later, he was up to speed with the situation and was ready to do everything it took to get SG1 back in one piece.

As he was about to leave, Jacob called to him.

"George, one last thing. I have a Goa'uld communication device. When they arrive at the base, SG1 are going to contact me. The transmission will come through any moment now."

As he finished speaking, a buzz echoed through the room, followed by Jack's voice.

"_Jacob, you there? Jacob!" _Jacob reached into his pocket and pulled out the small round communication device, and squeezed it lightly. It brought up Jack's face, and Jacob smiled.

"I'm here Jack, with General Hammond. We're gonna do our best to support you, but Ward's convinced the base you guys are crazy. We're here to stop that."

"_That's great Jacob, really, but I'm kinda busy right now, so let me get to the point. SG1 are about to infiltrate Ba'al's base."_

-------------------------

Well, that marks the halfway point in this story. If I can, I will get another update up within a week, but the Holidays are over now, so I'll be quite buy.


	5. Catch and Release

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**A/N: ** Well, this has taken about… forever to update. And I'm really, really sorry. But I just couldn't be bothered to open up Word and write when I had no idea is people want another chapter or not.

I'm not normally one to complain, but the lack of reviews for that last chapter was frightful. I put a lot of time into these stories, and It really helps to know people want to read them. So, unless I get more reviews this time, it will be another month or so before you get the next chapter.

Well, now that the unpleasantness is over, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Ari

* * *

SG1 ducked behind yet another pillar in the mother ship. That marked the fourth Jaffa patrol on this level. Logic dictated that there was something important for them to be guarding on that level. Still, SG1 had expected that the base would be more heavily guarded.

Rounding the corner, they entered what appeared to be an empty room, with a computer interface in the centre of it. Without waiting for approval, Sam walked over, and began to bring up the interface. Several minutes later, they had access to the ships primary logs, and Daniel was scanning through the most recent.

"This is interesting," He said. "It appears as if there's a prisoner onboard, someone of extreme importance to Ba'al. Hang on, let me get a little more information…"

"Just make it quick Daniel. We still need to find the anti-virus, remember?" Jack said, waving Sam over to help him keep guard. Teal'c stood stoically behind Daniel, a pensive expression on his face as he simultaneously kept a watch over the other exit from the room, and read over the archaeologist's shoulder.

"Um, Jack, I know the prisoner who is, and I don't think you'll be too happy about it." Daniel said, and Jack sighed, gesturing for him to continue. "It's a Tok'ra, Anise to be precise. You understand that we'll have to save her, right?"

"Do we have too?" Jack whined in mock protest. With a sigh, he nodded at Teal'c to stay, and followed Sam out the door to head towards the prison cells.

- - -

"_It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye to the SGC, but the greater loss is no longer working with people like the personnel of this base. I have never met a braver team of soldiers, a more dedicated team of scientist, or as many alien consulters as we have working here. So, no matter where this promotion takes me, know that I am still looking out for you and the people of this galaxy, even if it is from Washington. Thank you, and farewell."_

_The Gate room erupted into applause as General Hammond stepped down from the podium. SG1 saluted as he walked past, and the applause abruptly stopped as every member of the SGC joined them in their salute. General Hammond smiled, and saluted back._

"_Won't be the same without you sir," Jack said in farewell, and Daniel nodded._

"_Won't be the same not being here," Hammond said in reply._

- - -

"So, Carter, how you been?" Jack said as they crept down the halls. Sam smiled and shook her head. Only her CO would find time to make small talk while on an enemy ship, trying to save Earth.

"Fine," She said. "You know, just trying to save the planet and prove that SG1 are not raving loonies. How about you?"

"About the same actually, yeah." O'Neill replied, and they ducked around a corner in perfect unison, arriving well ahead of schedule at the prison block. Carefully, they followed the main corridor and passed several cells. Sam saw Jack wince a couple of times, the memory of his capture by Ba'al fresh in his mind as he walked past the gravity distorted cells. She reached out and squeezed his shoulder gently, showing her support, and he brought his hand up to rest on top of hers for a few moments, before they continued onwards.

Anise was being held in a cell on the far side of the block. The cell wasn't one of the gravity ones, and they had her freed in minutes.

"I feel I must thank you, Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. Not many would risk coming here to save a prisoner." She said, as they made their way back to Daniel and Teal'c.

"Well, don't feel to special now… Rescuing you was sort of a spur of the moment thing," Jack replied in his typical manor, and Anise looked at his quizzically. Sam shook her head and explained.

"Lord Yu, under Ba'al's influence, sent Earth technology which infected all of our computing systems with an electronic virus, which will permanently shut down all of our technology within the next two days. The authorities at the SGC refused to acknowledge the situation, and we had no choice but to break out, come here, get the anti-virus and save the planet," Sam was cut off as Jack pulled the two women back into a crevasse to avoid a patrol. "Anyway. Daniel was searching the ships logs, found you, and you know the rest."

The group rounded several corners without seeing another patrol. They were nearly back at the interface room, when Sam and Jack's radios went off.

"Sam, Jack, you guys there?" Daniel's voice came over the speaker.

"Yeah Daniel. What's up?" Sam replied, as they backed into an unused room.

"Teal'c and I have the anti-virus. How far away are you?"

"Not far. We have Anise with us. We'll meet you back at the Interface room." Jack replied, and turned off his radio. He nodded at Sam, who took point and followed Anise out of the room.

They would have made it back to Daniel and Teal'c easily, had it not been for the fact that Ba'al had been expecting them. As they rounded one final corner, a dozen Jaffa appeared around them. Daniel and Teal'c were at the other end of the passageway, and immediately began firing on the guards.

Sam and Jack had their P-90's up and aimed at the Jaffa as well, and within moments, half had fallen to the ground. Anise was standing still in shock, until Sam threw a Zat at her, and the Tok'ra began helping to wipe out the Jaffa.

Unfortunately, it was no that easy. Several more patrols of Jaffa came up behind Sam and Jack, and they were forced to turn and fight them.

"Anise, get to Teal'c and Daniel, now!" Jack called, and the Tok'ra ran. Moments later, Sam and Jack were overwhelmed by the Jaffa and knocked unconscious. Daniel, Teal'c and Anise ran to the 'Gate and dialled the Tok'ra home planet.

- - -

_SG1 hid in the thick underbrush of the planets natural forests. Through the trees, they could see Ba'al's base under construction. _

"_What exactly is he doing in there that would require so many trees?" Jack asked as the watched another patrol of Jaffa pass by leading several animals that had several large logs tied to a harness around there middle. "I mean, it's not like the base is made out of wood or anything right? It's a metal isn't it?"_

"_Yes sir, but he has to be producing electricity somehow. Maybe the wood is for a furnace?" Carter replied, before standing slightly and adjusting her positioning. "Sir, those shields look way more advanced than most other Goa'uld facilities. What ever he's doing in there has to be pretty important."_

"_I believe he is designing new weapons, Major Carter." Teal'c said. "I have seen similar processes of de-forestation when Apophis was building new ships. The trees were used in weapon manufacturing, although I am indeed unsure of the specific usage, as it was not under my control as First Prime."_

_SG1 blinked a few times, thinking over the new information._

"_I'm guessing it would be a good idea to blow the place then?" Jack asked, and Teal'c nodded deeply. "Well then, lets go."_

- - -

"Ow," Jack said with a groan as he sat up and rest his head against the wall of the cell. He ran a hand through his short hair and sighed heavily. He opened his eyes and looked around. His was in a gravity cell in Ba'al's base, that much was clearly obvious from the décor. On the opposite side of the cell he could see Carter, sprawled out on the ground. Her hair was stained with blood, and for a moment Jack's heart sped up to a painful rate.

He scrambled to his feet and rushed to her side. He gently rolled her onto her side, and felt for a pulse. He let out a deep breath he hadn't know he was holding when he found a strong, steady rhythm pounding beneath his fingertips.

"Carter?" He called. "Hey, Carter? Sam?"

She stirred in his arms, and opened her eyes. She brought a hand up to her head, and rubbed her temples, her fingertips meeting the thick blood staining her hairline, and she jerked upright quickly.

"Sir? What's going on?" She asked, and then reality caught up to her. A wave on nausea rolled across her body and she groaned. "Ow, god."

"Well, as far as I can remember, we took Anise back to Daniel and Teal'c and a whole bunch of Jaffa popped up out of nowhere." Jack sat back against the wall, his heart slowing now that he knew Sam was alright. "You had me really worried then, Carter."

"Sorry sir. I don't think this is mine though," She replied, gesturing to the blood in her hair. "I fell on one of the dead Jaffa just before we were taken. It's kinda gross actually…"

"Major Doctor Samantha Carter, astrophysicist extraordinaire, finds alien blood 'gross'?" Jack mocked, light-heartedly. He smiled sincerely. "Don't worry Carter, they'll clean it before we get taken to Ba'al."

"How do you..." Sam began, then stopped. "Oh, sorry."

"It's okay Carter," Jack said, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her back so she was nestled against him and the wall. He turned to her with a serious expression on his face. "You look exhausted, Sam. Sleep. This cell will be here in the morning."

Sam looked down at her watch. "Actually sir, it is morning. 0700 hours."

He looked down at her and she sighed. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She was asleep again with in minutes.

* * *

Okay, three things.

1. IF I can find the time over the next few weeks, you'll have an update two weeks from now. I am away for most of next week, so it really is dependant on when I find time to write.

2. I'm not someone who will just stop writing a story but I will update less frequently if people don't review. I hate to do this, I really do, but I need to know that people like this story and that there's a point in writing all of this. I WILL STILL UPDATE just very slowly and infrequently.

3. (and it will sound familiar) PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW. I want at least 10 reviews for this chapter. That isn't all that many… Pretty please?

Sorry for the HUGE tirade, but I was very disappointed.

Ari


	6. Revelations

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**A/N: ** Okay, so I'm a few days late. I had very little sleep while I was away, and frankly, I couldn't be bothered writing.

I now have a new laptop, however, so I can work on my stories more frequently. I may even write a Christmas based story, although, if I do it will most likely be for _Atlantis_, because I've neglected my SGA fics lately.

**Warning:** This chapter contains shameless fluff, and a fair whack of angst. Plus, a surprise twist.... And I finally explain the flashbacks.

Enjoy the update,

Ari

* * *

There was a faint click in the corner of Jack O'Neill's brain and somewhere he recognised it as the sound of the Tok'ra memory device being removed. Then pain shot through his temple, and he groaned quietly.

"Well, _Colonel_," Ba'al said, "That was an interesting interrogation. You have a very easily side-tracked mind… Not that those random snippets weren't helpful or anything, I'm just surprised that the Tau'ri let someone so… confused… lead there most important team into battle. Surely you must have questioned their sanity at some stage?"

Jack didn't answer. The small snippets of conversations and short amounts of data that hadn't pertained to the mission seemed unimportant, and although Jack had eventually been able to stop them from appearing as often, he really had no idea what information had been accidently revealed. Still, there were far worse things for Ba'al to have seen. Things that Jack would gladly keep in his mind until the day he died.

"Or is it your own sanity that you are questioning?" Ba'al continued goading, not realising that his audience was hardly listening. "Never the less, you have been a formidable enemy…"

Jack's head slipped onto his chest, and his eyes slipped shut. Sighing, Ba'al released the lock on the gravity net, and Jack fell away. Ba'al turned to his Jaffa.

"Take him to a sarcophagus, and then back to his cell, I will continue later." With that said, he strode out of the room.

- - -

"Colonel?" Sam called as she moved over to his body. The Jaffa had thrown him into the cell unkindly, and he had landed hard on his back. His eyes were closed, and from what Sam could tell, his breathing was irregular.

"Colonel O'Neill?" She tried again, putting two hands to his neck, feeling desperately for a pulse. "Jack?"

He coughed once, and moved to sit up, calming Sam immediately. He opened his eyes, and she knew he caught a glimpse of the worry she had tried to hide written upon her face.

"Guess we're even now Carter," He said, and she helped lift him to his feet. They sat on the benches on each side of the room, and were silent for several minutes, carefully avoiding eye contact.

"What happened sir?" Sam asked. "I woke up and you were gone."

"Ba'al decided it was time for 'interrogation'" O'Neill said, a hint of regret in his voice. "I told him everything, Sam. I couldn't stop. Everything since Ward got there."

"Sir..." She began, but Jack held up a hand to silence her.

"I didn't mean to... at first it was just the technology, but I couldn't focus... I think there was something in the water he gave me... He had Tok'ra memory devices... Everything I thought popped up in front of me... Hammond leaving, the attack on his mother ship, your injury... I was able to limit it at the end there, but who knows what information I could have given away accidentally..."

"It wasn't your fault!" Sam protested. "We both know how hard it is to resist the affects of the memory devices.... Besides, we'll be out of here soon."

"Do you really believe that?" Jack asked, getting to his feet. "I mean, honestly?"

Sam stared at him blankly, and Jack threw his arms up in frustration.

"Carter, we broke out of one of the most secure places on Earth, directly disobeying a direct order to do so. Ward thinks we're out of our minds, Kinsey's president, and for all we know Daniel, Teal'c and Anise are captive or dead! Even if we do get out of here, the only thing waiting for us back home is a court marshal. Even if we manage to make it out of this hell-hole, do we even have a home anymore? Face it Carter, we aren't going anywhere anytime soon!!"

"So what are you saying, _sir_?" Carter said standing up to face him eye to eye. "That we just give up? That we let Ba'al slowly go through our minds until we lose every aspect of what makes us ourselves? That all this wasn't worth it? That we should have let Earth fall victim to a virus we have the ability to stop? Just to spite Kinsey and Ward?"

"NO!" Jack said, grabbing Sam's shoulders, staring into her eyes. "Sam, I'm not saying that. I'm not saying we give up. I'll never give up; I'll do whatever it takes to get you, to get us, home. But we have no back up. We're beat Sam. I don't know if I can do it. Not with everything.... Not this time."

"We can, Jack." Sam said. "We can. You can rest when Ba'al comes for me, and then we'll get out, okay?"

"No. No, no, no." He replied shaking his head. "Promise me, Sam. Promise me that whenever he comes, you'll pretend to be asleep, and you'll let him take me. Promise me that."

"Sir..."

"No! No sir, no but, no maybe. Promise me. I will not let him take you from me. I won't let him make you question yourself. Please, don't do this."

"Don't make me let him take you from _me_! Why is that any different? Why can I watch him destroy you yet you won't return the favour?" Sam was defiant, her eyes blazing with fury.

"You don't know what it's like, Carter. You can't." Jack fell back down onto the bench heavily, his hands slipping through his hair. "I will not put you through that."

"I won't let you go through that again." Sam knelt before him, placing her hands on his knees. "Why is this so important to you?"

"I am not going to lose the woman I love! Not when I can stop it from happening." Jack replied, his eyes going wide when he realised what he said. A similar expression of shock spread over Sam's face, and she sat heavily on to ground.

"What?" She whispered.

"If Ba'al finds out how I feel for you, he'll use you to hurt me. I can't stop him. He'll get whatever he wants from me. Anything he wants is his, as long as he doesn't take you from me. Hell, he can kill me for all I care, if you go free."

"Jack... I..." Sam's hands muffled her words as she wiped her eyes.

"I mean it Sam. I know that it isn't exactly the best time to do this, but I really do love you. I-" The sound of metal footsteps interrupted Jack and he looked at Sam with a pleading look. She shook her head, and stood, ready for the guards.

"I'm so, sorry Sam," Jack whispered, and he reached forward, striking her lightly on a pressure point and she dropped quickly. He grabbed her underneath the arms before she hit the ground, and gently placed her on the ground, leaning slightly against the wall so that when the gravity switched, she would not fall.

The Jaffa walked up to the door, and Jack positioned himself so he would be standing when they reversed the gravity. They turned the control, and he stood slowly, bending slightly to check on Sam before following the guards out of the room. With one last glance and her unconscious form, Jack walked away, knowing Sam would hate him when he returned.

If he returned...

- - -

Daniel, Teal'c and Anise stepped through the 'Gate to Vorash, and were greeted by the sight of several SG members waiting at the DHD for them. Daniel instinctively raised his hands after spotting the P90 aimed straight at his head.

Colonel Reynolds stepped forward from the back of the group, a smile on his face.

"Lower your weapons," He said, and his SG team immediately stood down. Turning back to face the 'Gate, he spoke again. "Relax Dr Jackson; we're on your side. We were sent here with direct orders from General Hammond to bring you home."

"General Hammond? Colonel, what's happened since we left?" Daniel asked curiously, walking towards the group now he no longer felt his life was in danger. Teal'c stood beside him, and Anise confidently strolled over to stand at the DHD, ready to return to her people.

"Well Dr, after you left and Jack's little speech, Ward and Kinsey tried to convince the SGC that you were all crazy or something, and that it was all a big hoax." Reynolds began. "Luckily our good friend Walter Harriman was able to get word to Hammond about what was going on. Of course, the general took your side, knowing Jack would never be stupid enough to put all your reputations at risk. Speaking of which, where are Jack and Major Carter?"

"I'm afraid we do not come bearing good news. O'Neill and Major Carter were captured by Ba'al after freeing the Tok'ra Anise." Teal'c said. "We were, however, able to procure an anti-virus for Earths technology."

"How does that work?" Lieutenant Cook asked. "If this computer virus is going to infect all of Earth's technology, do we have to upload the anti-virus into every peice of technology on Earth?"

"No. If we upload it into the computers at Area 51, where the virus was started, it will follow the path of the virus through cyber space and eradicate it from all systems that are infected." Daniel said. He then motioned to Anise. "Colonel, Anise should return to her people, let them know what she went through while she was captured. We need to get this back to Earth ASAP."

He reached into his bag, and pulled out a large blue-grey crystal. When she saw it, Anise's eyes flashed.

"Give that to me!" She said, speaking in the distorted voice of the Goa'uld. She raised a hand, and pointed it towards Daniel; the hand device attached already glowing with a red pulse. Reynolds and his team, swung their weapons towards her but were disarmed with a wave of her hand. "You will all burn in the fires of hell for betraying your one true God, Ba'al!"

* * *

Oooh! Bet you didn't see that coming! I didn't even see it coming. It was a spur of the moment thing, means I have to re-plan my next few chapters, but it will be good.

As usual, please review. I really want to know what you thought of this chapter. Everything, from the explanations for the flashbacks, the little 'admission' from Jack, Anise's surprise... LET ME KNOW! I really want to hear it!

Ari


	7. Downwards Spiral Part 1

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**Disclaimer:** I can't believe I'm writing a story where I have to say this but... I do not own the Simpsons. And I really don't want to.

**A/N: ** Here you are. After another disappointing round of reviews, I decided to split this chapter up into two parts. If you are really nice, and send me lovely reviews begging me to update, I will _might_ get the next part up on Saturday.

A huge thank you to those people who have reviewed. I really love you guys! Shout outs at the end of the story for everyone who reviews, okay?

This chapter contains torture, sadness, AND A CHARACTER DEATH. It's in caps so none of you can claim I didn't warn you. But don't panic, it isn't anyone in SG1.

Well, I've said to much. Enjoy the update.

* * *

There comes a time in every one's life when they know that their luck has run out. For Daniel Jackson, this had happened several times. Of course, most notably was his 'death'. So it really was no surprise that he would find himself in a situation of certain death again.

For most people this would be off putting. Daniel was no regular person. He had long ago devoted his life to uncovering the secrets of the universe, and if those secrets led to death, then that was that.

So, when Anise revealed herself as a servant of Ba'al, he reacted as he had many times before; calmly and diplomatically. Ignoring the fact that he had known the old Tok'ra, he walked forward, hands raised, desperately trying to defuse the situation.

'Anise' swung her arm towards him, the deadly hand device glowing as fiercely as ever before.

"Look, I know we've pissed you and Ba'al off majorly, but he is not a God, and killing us won't make that any less true." Daniel said. 'Anise' lowered her hand.

"No, but when you are dead, you will an example for those that defy their Lord Ba'al."

"Look, Anise, or whoever you are, we are worth more to Ba'al alive, and you know it!" By that time, Daniel was standing in front of Anise, staring her directly in the eyes. "You have served the Tok'ra for centuries, why has that changed?"

"SILENCE!" Anise flung her hand out sending Daniel flying towards the 'gate. "I have been shown the truth! The Goa'uld are supreme!"

At that moment, several Tok'ra appeared out of nowhere, reminding Daniel suspiciously of their first contact with the resistance. Three moved forwards to restrain Anise, holding her arms behind her back, and removing the hand device. A fourth stepped towards Daniel. He spoke as Reynolds and his team retrieved their weapons.

"I am sorry it took us so long, Dr Jackson. We were unsure of what your intentions were, nor those of Anise. You must forgive us for her behaviour."

"There is nothing you could have done." Daniel said. "Her behaviour is not her own, she has clearly been affected by Ba'al, during her capture."

"Yes, of course. Still, she is a member of the Tok'ra, we are responsible for her.

A yell prevented them from speaking any more. They spun, and faced Anise. She had freed herself from the Tok'ra holding her, and was currently pointing towards Daniel. In an instant he guessed what had happened, and when he spotted the small device attached to her hand, he knew he was correct.

"Get down!" He called, and pulled the shocked Tok'ra to the ground beside him. There was a rumble, and the ground shook from an explosion. When the sand settled, all they could see that was left of anise was a smouldering crater.

"Dr Jackson? What the hell just happened?" Reynolds asked.

"She was a Zatarc." Daniel replied. He pulled the crystal out of his pocket. "Her mission was to get this."

The Tok'ra and humans stood for a few moments staring at the ground where they had last seen Anise.

"Well, this certainly has been exciting but Dr Jackson, we have to get that back to the SGC as soon as possible. Cook, dial us home!" Reynolds ordered, moving off the 'Gate's elevated platform before the brilliant blue kawoosh enveloped the space above it.

He nodded at Dr Jackson, who entered the wormhole, followed by Teal'c then the rest of Reynolds' team.

- - -

"_Homer, Homer Simpson, he's the greatest guy in history. From the town of Springfield, he's about to hit a chestnut tree."_

A blinding pain shot through Jack's hip as he sung, sending tendrils of heat through his side. Ba'al's eyes glowed in anger.

"Enough of this! You will answer me. What is the sequence of numbers to access the SGC?" He shouted, holding another knife up and pointed it at Jack. When Jack refused to answer, he let go of the knife, and it plunged into his chest, coming to a stop only a few inches from his heart. Jack just started laughing, ignoring the sharp pains it sent through his chest.

"_Spider pig! Spider pig! Does whatever a spider pig does. Can he swing from a web? No he can't, cos he's a pig... Look out, he's a spider pig!"_ He sung, holding several notes at an unreasonable pitch just to irrated the already furious Goa'uld.

"Enough of this! You will bow in the presence of your god!!!!" Ba'al yelled once more, before releasing another knife, which pierced Jack's arm.

"Donuts! It's donuts!" Jack said. His rambling was becoming close to the babble of a crazy person, but he kept it up.

"What? What is 'donuts? What do they do?" Ba'al asked curiously, thinking he had finally cracked the insane human.

"Is there anything they cannot do?" Jack whispered in feigned reverence, before letting out a high pitched shriek with bubbled into more laughter. Ba'al let out an outraged cry, and throw a final knife towards Jack. It struck just below his heart, cutting into his lung.

"That is enough! You are in the presence of your god! You will end this behaviour or die!"

"You know what Ba'al? I've always wondered if there was a god. And now I know there is," Jack coughed out as his lungs gave out. "And it's me!"

His head fell limp, and Ba'al disengaged the gravity chamber. Jack fell heavily, caught by two Jaffa who carried him to the sarcophagus.

- - -

Sam awoke in an empty cell, her neck sore and cramped. The first thing she noticed was that Jack was gone again. She swore internally. She'd seen firsthand the effect of the sarcophagus over an extended period of time, and knew that with every 'interrogation' Jack would lose a little more of himself.

She wasn't ready to let that happen. Not given everything he had said before they took him. How long ago was that? She couldn't think straight, her head pounding slightly on top of her sore neck.

She sat around in the cell for quite some time, her over active mind conjuring up all kinds of situations that Jack could be in. When she finally heard the sound of the Jaffa marching down the hall, she was sure that her heart was beating loud enough for them to hear at the Stargate.

Once the Jaffa had deposited Jack in the cell and marched away, Sam hurried to his side. He was barely breathing, and several of his wounds were still quite red. She shuddered. They had taken him out of the sarcophagus before he was fully healed. She gently stroked his cheek, wiping away the grime that had accumulated as a result of his dying. She then ripped off a sleeve from his BDU jacket, and wrapped several of the worst cuts, especially those on his arms which were still bleeding heavily.

Quietly cleaning the few minor cuts, she moved Jack onto one of the small benches, bending his long legs so they would fit in the small crook. She sat down on the ground beside him, her back resting against the bench, and her head titled back so it rested gently on his arm. One arm was bent up above her, gently stroking his cheek, offering what little comfort she could offer.

She wiped her eye as tears built in them. She had to be strong. She had no idea what removing him from the sarcophagus early had done to Jack. He could remain unconscious indefinitely. She had to be prepared for that if it happened.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes, succumbing to the headache that had been threatening to knock her out since before she woke up.

* * *

Ok, before you start yelling at me for killing off Anise, I really didn't want to. I just thought it would be the ultimate irony to have her as a Zatarc.

Anyway, please review, and I promise I won't kill Jack. If you don't... Well, we'll just have to see, won't we? Mwahahahah.

Ari


	8. Downwards Spiral Part 2

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**A/N: **Here it is. The penultimate chapter. I can't believe I'm nearly done with this.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and send me lots of lovely reviews. I still haven't made up my mind about Jack yet....

* * *

Standing in front of the inactive Stargate, General Hammond observed the members of his command. The mass of military personnel stood at full attention, and in the control above them stood the scientists, standing just as tall as the soldiers. Hammond smiled to himself. He was proud of each and every member of the SGC, he knew they had all accomplished a great deal.

They were the best and bravest of his planet, and as close as a family. If one went down, they all went down. And they fell especially hard if it was one such as Colonel O'Neill or Major Carter who both were well respected and liked by everyone at the base. That was how Hammond knew they'd be able to rescue them from Ba'al.

It wouldn't be easy, but it was possible. That was what mattered the most.

"Listen up people! You all know the plan. It's going to take everything we have, but it's going to happen.

"SG14, 8 and 7, you'll provide the main cover fire for the 'Gate, allowing SG3, 5 and 9 to take the main complex. Dr Jackson and Teal'c will join Jacob Carter on board a cargo ship to extract Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter.

"Dr Lee, you and your team will come through once the base is cleared, and collect any vital technology we may need. Is everyone clear?"

There was a chorus of 'Yes sir's and the sound of two dozen airman saluting. General Hammond saluted back then walked off the 'Gate ramp, nodding at Harriman to dial the 'Gate. The vortex spiralled outwards, and the SG teams began to file out.

Hammond stood to one side, watching as his people when out of their way to save two of the programs heroes.

"Godspeed," He said, as the last airman slipped into the event horizon.

- - -

Every part of Sam's body ached. She was tired, thirsty and knew she hadn't eaten in days. But that was nothing compared to how she knew Colonel O'Neill must be feeling.

She was out of her mind with worry. He still hadn't woken up and her overactive mind was panicking, fearing that he may never.

_He's going to wake up._ She thought harshly, silencing her nervous inner voice. _He has to be. He's too valuable for Earth to lose. Too important to the SGC. Too precious to me._

Shaking her head for the fifth time in as many minutes, Sam tried to clear her head. Her field medical training had never prepared her for what to do when your CO is out cold after being killed and brought back to life, then tortured again and only partially healed. When she got back to Earth, she'd definitely need to see one of the field nurses at the base about updating the training course for SGC personnel.

If _you get back to Earth._ Her inner voice stated again, it's negativity back in full swing. She shook her head, desperate to get the voice out of there. Sam had never much liked hearing voices, even if it was her own conscience. After her experiences with Jolinar and the entity that had taken over her body, the discomfort had only increased.

She heard the sound of explosions, and guessed they were coming from outside, although she had no idea of where they were in relation to outside, so they could have been coming from inside the base. Sitting up, she crawled over to Jack, checking his injures quickly, needing to know if he would be safe to move it the opportunity came for escape.

His pulse was stronger than it had been which cheered Sam up considerably. None of his cuts were bleeding anymore, and some colour had returned to his face. She reached out, and gently stroked his cheek, glad to feel warmth.

The explosions were closer now, and they were joined by the sound of P90 fire. A grin broke out on Sam's face as she soaked in the sound of rescue.

"They're coming Jack. We're getting out of here." She whispered. "You hear me? We're getting out of here."

- - -

Daniel and Teal'c sat silently in the Tel'tak, watching the display with great focus. Every aspect of the base was laid out for them, with everything from structural integrity to temperature and environmental scrolling across in front of their eyes.

"There." Jacob said from the pilots seat, pointing towards a section where the shielding had failed. "The rings are right below that. Hang on."

With the precision that came from years of flying, he manoeuvred the ship over the battle field and stopped it above the failed shield. Daniel and Teal'c moved into the ring room, and took up their positions. Jacob punched in the code and the rings shot the two men down into the facility.

It was empty when they arrived, but neither Daniel nor Teal'c was foolish enough to believe it would stay that way. They stealthily moved out of the room, and into the corridor. Silently they made their way toward the holding cells were they were sure Sam and Jack were being held.

They ran into several small patrols and quickly took care of them. The maze of hallways would have gotten them quite lost if Jacob wasn't guiding them from the ship.

"The holding cells are just around the corner. I'll move back position, think you can get them back within five minutes?" He asked.

"Maybe. I'm not sure." Daniel replied. "Take the ship into orbit, we'll call when we reach the rings."

"Okay, just be careful getting them out. We have no idea of the condition they might be in." Jacob lifted the ship into the air, moving into the safety of the planets upper atmosphere now that he no longer had to guide Daniel and Teal'c. He stayed just within radio range, and powered down the ship to minimal expenditure. Ba'al had plenty of ships at his disposal, any number of them could be launched at any moment.

Teal'c was first around the corner, and instantly spotted the cell where Jack and Sam were being held. He signalled Daniel, and they both moved to the doorway.

The sight that greeted them was both a comfort and a pain. Jack was wrapped in bloody strips of his BDU jacket and apparently unconscious on a bench, with Sam curled up on the floor in front of him, tears dried on her cheeks.

"Major Carter, O'Neill?" Teal'c called, and Sam's head sprung up.

- - -

When she saw the remaining members of her team stand above them, Sam's heart soared. She stood, and stared up at them.

"Teal'c, Daniel, thank god your here." She said, and Daniel waved.

"Hey Sam. I'm glad you're okay." He said. "How's Jack?"

"Not so good." Sam replied. "He refused to let the guards take me, knocked me unconscious so they couldn't. Ba'al took him twice. The first time Ba'al used the Tok'ra memory recall device to get information out of him. I don't know what he did the second time, but Jack's been unconscious since they returned him. I think they put him in the sarcophagus, but took him out before he was fully healed. He's got some pretty bad cuts on his chest and upper arms, but they're mostly healed."

"Can you lift him?" Daniel asked, and Sam nodded. "Okay, move him somewhere where he won't be hurt when we change the gravity."

Sam nodded again, and carefully heaved her CO onto the floor by the wall where she had awoken. She then lay down with her feet against the way, and signalled to the awaiting men she was ready.

Teal'c waved a hand over the control panel, and the room began to tilt. Once it stopped, Sam rolled Jack back onto his side, and grabbed him under the arm. Hefting him so his arm was around her shoulder and hers was around his waist, she stumbled out to where Daniel and Teal'c waited.

The short trip exhausted her, and Teal'c quickly took over. He lifted the unconscious man onto his shoulders, and began to move back towards the ring room. Daniel wrapped an arm around her shoulders briefly, before picking up Teal'c discarded P90 and handing it to her.

They encountered very few patrols on the way out. Daniel smiled inwardly, knowing that meant that the other SG teams were successful in their missions. They reached the ring room in no time at all, and Teal'c carefully lowered Jack to the floor inside the platform, before moving to the controls.

Sam sunk to her knees beside Jack, dehydration and hunger slowly draining her small amount of energy. Her eyes slipped shut as the bright light of the rings engulfed them and transported them to the cargo ship.

* * *

Coming up next: The Epilogue (which will have a name, I just haven't thought of it yet.

Keep the reviews coming people. Jack's fate is in your hands!!! This is your last chance to stop a horrible fate....

Ari

:P


	9. Remnants

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**A/N: **If Sam seems a little OOC, it's because she probably is. The Sam I used in this entire story is a cross between several, mostly the Sam in Heroes, Upgrades, behind the force shield, Line in the Sand, when she's lying in the bed, Death Knell, Grace, Solitudes and any others where she's almost given up, Singularity, in the elevator after leaving Cassie, and Divide and Conquer, in the Gate room with Martouf. Those last two are seen especially in this chapter.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The journey back to Earth on the Cargo ship took four days. It was a long trip, but it had been the most convenient way to get Sam and Jack off the base.

Sam had barely spoken since arriving on the ship. She mostly slept, or watched over Jack. The three other men had quickly become concerned for her.

"Sammie?" Jacob asked, standing at the doorway of the cargo bay she was resting in. Sam looked up and gave her father a slight nod.

"Hey Dad," She said, shifting over on the bench so he could sit beside her.

"Oh, so you can still speak, can you?" Jacob asked, semi-mockingly.

"Dad, be fair," Sam said. "I know, I've sort of neglected you lately, but with everything the way it is..."'

I know Sam, I do," Jacob replied. "You've been through a lot, but that's no reason to shut the rest of us out, okay? We just want to help."

"That's the thing Dad," Sam said getting agitated. "The worse that happened to me was that I got knocked unconscious. But Jack..."

"It's Jack now?" Jacob asked, momentarily stunned by the use of the younger man's first name. "Last time I spoke to you he was definitely the Colonel, or Colonel O'Neill. Has something happened I that I need to know about?"

"Dad, please, just drop it," Sam pleaded.

"Sam, I'm only speaking the truth. You deserve happiness." Jacob said, reaching out and gripping Sam's shoulder gently.

"Dad, now is not the time, okay?" Sam said sharply, pulling away from him. "My CO is nearly dead, I'm tired, haven't eaten properly in nearly a week, and every bone in my body hurts. I have a headache to rival any hang over you've ever had. _So just drop it_ okay?"

"Okay, for now." Jacob said, slightly shocked by the way his daughter had spoken to him. Even when she was a teenager she had never spoken so sharply to him.

"No, Dad," Sam whispered. "Not for now. Forever. Whatever might have happened in that cell, whatever may or may not have been said, I just want it to go away. Please, leave it be..."

Jacob nodded, unable to process the sudden change in Sam.

_She is tired, Jacob. Let her rest. Worry more about her later. _Selmak said, and Jacob nodded internally.

- - -

Halfway through there trip back to Earth, Sam left the cargo bay and joined Daniel in the Tel'tak. Teal'c was kelno'reeming in the corner, and the only noise was the sound of the engines.

"Hey Daniel," Sam said softly. Daniel turned and smiled at her, before returning his focus to the HUD. "Where's Dad?"

"Other cargo bay. Reporting progress to the Tok'ra high council so they can inform Hammond." Daniel replied.

"What happened once you got back to Earth?" Sam asked It had been nagging her for some time.

"Well, we gated back to Vorash with Anise. Colonel Reynolds and his team were waiting for us at the 'Gate. We showed them the anti-virus, Anise tried to kill us-"

"Woah! What?" Sam had dropped the hot mug of coffee she was drinking, but she didn't notice.

"She was a Zatarc. She was after the crystal. Ironic, isn't it?" Daniel replied, passing Sam a tissue so she could wipe the coffee stain off her BDU pants. "Anyway, Reynolds escorted us back to the SGC where we found out that Ward had been stripped of his command. General Hammond has a lot of influence out there. As it turns out, Ward was hired by the NID, and was never actually a General. Kinsey planted the background information somehow. He's been imprisoned for treason. Hammond gave us the go ahead to plan your rescue, and here you are."

"A lot can happen in a few days, can't it?" Sam said, her gaze turning slightly to watch subspace flying past them. "Jack was killed at least twice when we were there. He knocked me unconscious so I would have to go through it."

"And left you to go through the pain of not knowing what was happening to him in the mean time." Daniel finished Sam's thought. 'He's afraid of losing you, Sam. More than anything. I know you guys like to play the whole 'Feelings? What feelings?' thing, but you have to have noticed..."

"He told me, Daniel. Before the guards got back, when he was ordering me to pretend to be unconscious." Sam whispered, looking behind her to be sure her father was still out of earshot. This wasn't the sort of thing she'd want to discuss with him listening. "Then he hit me in a pressure point, and I dropped like a stone. The last thing I heard from hi was his whisper of I'm sorry."

"He'll wake up soon, Sam. Then you can forgive him, and move on." Daniel said. "Either act, or don't."

"I wish it was that simple, Daniel." Sam replied.

"It is. You can make it that simple. You just have to be willing to face-"

"Major Carter!" Daniel was cut off by Teal'c call from inside the second cargo bay. Where Jack was lying unconscious.

Sam was on her feet in seconds, in the bay before the doors had even fully opened. Teal'c was crouched awkwardly beside a thrashing Jack. A muffled gasp twisted itself from Sam's shocked body as she hurtled herself towards him.

"Jack?" She called, desperately stroking his cheek. Her fingers slid down to his neck, feeling for a pulse. She barely found one.

Jacob burst into the room, woken by Teal'c's call and Sam's fearful sobs. The first thing he saw was his daughter knelt beside her CO, who was clearly in the middle of some sort of fit. A stray arm lashed out and hit Sam in the side of her chest, just below one of her bruised ribs, but aside from a slight wince, Sam didn't seem to notice. She just stayed staring at the man's face, calling out to him, trying to pull him back into consciousness.

Then Jack fell still.

For a second, there was silence. Then, a guttural scream pierced the air as the last strands of Jack's pulse faded away. Jacob, Daniel and Teal'c could only watch as Sam shook his lifeless body, still calling out his name at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Dun dun dun!!!!

Well, I might write another part yet, so not everything is set in stone, although I am definitely tempted to leave it as it currently stands... The story is now marked complete....

On another topic, I just found out that Claudia Black played someone named Claire in an old Aussie TV show. I don't know how I never knew that before, because I absolutely adore Claudia, but I didn't. You may not think that it's such a big deal, but when you find out that one of your favourite actresses played someone with your name, it makes you smile.

Please review, I really want to know if you want me to save Jack or not. I will leave him dead, if that's how the reviews pan out.


	10. Epilogue

**Thank Yu for Sharing….**

**A/N: **Well, here we are, a year after I started this and I finally got around to writing a little epilogue. It sucks, I know, but it's all I have. Enjoy.

* * *

The commissary was empty and cold as Sam ate her Jello. The blue dessert wobbled around on the spoon and eventually fell off. She sighed, and lowered the spoon back into the bowl, and scooped the Jello up again, desperately trying to stop her hands from shaking. When it once again slipped away, she dropped the spoon into her bowl and lowered her head into her hands, biting her lip in frustration.

She'd been back on Earth for just over 48 hours. She'd spent the first day and a half in the infirmary, after she'd been declared dehydrated, anaemic and suffering from two bruised ribs, and the after affects of a mild concussion. She'd slept for most of that period, allowing the IV to deliver vital nutrients to her system, and her ribs had been braced. Yet despite being released from the infirmary,, and more rested than she had been in a week, Sam felt drained.

She heard familiar footsteps, and looked up. She smiled grimly at Daniel as he sat down at the table across from her, and placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of her. She looked at it puzzled, then gently touched the side of the mug already sitting there. It was cold.

"How long have I been sitting here?" Sam asked, switching the cups. Daniel shrugged.

"I have absolutely no idea, but last time I saw you was five hours ago when you left the infirmary. Judging by the coffee and untouched Jello, I'd say you've been here for at least four of those hours." He said.

"Oh." Sam said tiredly. "I suppose I'd better get going then. I've got some things to tie up in my lab, and then I'll be going home. I'm sure the place is an absolute mess, seeing as I haven't been back there since before we went to Antarctica."

She stood, picked up her still full Jello bowl and both cups of coffee and dumped the contents in the trash, then dropped the plates in the sink. She almost made it to the door before Daniel spoke.

"You can't keep running, Sam. You have to face it soon enough."

"No, Daniel, I don't," She said, whirling around to face him. "If I keep running, maybe I can run fast enough, and reach a place where I can pretend none of this has happened. Maybe I can put it all behind me and get on with my life, instead of trying to change something that cannot be changed. Maybe I can... do_ something_,"

"You need to, Sam. Trust me on that." Daniel sipped his coffee, indicating the end of the conversation. Sam stood staring for a moment, before steeling her jaw and leaving the room.

* * *

The infirmary's isolation room was dim, and cast in a weird glow from the heart rate monitor. The single body on the bed was still, watched over by a large form on the chair beside the bed.

"Hey Teal'c," Sam whispered, resting her hand on the Jaffa's shoulder. He looked at her, and nodded, standing so she could sit. "Oh, no, Teal'c, you don't have to leave, I was just stopping in."

"Major Carter, I am leaving. Please, stay and talk to O'Neill." He said in his deep voice. Sam gave up trying to protest and slumped into the seat, watching Teal'c's shadow as he left the room.

She sat in silence for a few minutes after her left, before finally looking at the comatose Colonel O'Neill. His face was calm, almost peaceful in his sleep. She ran her hand gently across his arms and chest, feeling the bumps of the gauze that covered his still healing cuts, still scabbing over after the last encounter with Ba'al. She couldn't see or feel it, but she knew there was a slight bruise forming at the base of his chest where she had desperately compressed his chest, trying to bring life into his body.

A single tear fell down her cheek, as she reached up and stroked Jack's cheek. He was warm, uncomfortably so. Sam bent down, laying her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. Its steady rhythm soothed her, its gentle pounding reaching into her tired body and putting into back to normal.

"I should have come to see you earlier. I feel so much better now, now that I faced this." She whispered into his chest. "I guess Daniel was right... Don't tell him, He'll get all big headed." She smiled.

"Come back, please." More tears slipped down her cheeks. "You're not going to leave me like this, not after everything you said in that cell. Not when I haven't told you how _I_ feel." Sam moved so that her head was next to Jack's, her lips just below his ear.

"I love you Jack," She murmured, letting her lips brush gently on his cheek, before pressing them harder onto the soft skin. "I love you, and you aren't going to just die on me, okay?"

"'Kay," Jack mumbled sleepily, causing Sam to jump to her feet. She bent over the bed, staring Jack in the eyes as they blinked sleepily. One hand jumped to her mouth when he smiled up at her, but she couldn't stifle the smile that broke through.

Careful of his injuries, she climbed onto the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck and chest, pressing her face into his shoulder. Jack sluggishly moved his arms to hold onto her, gently pulling her closer to him.

* * *

**Yep, there you go. Review and what not.**


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